http://www.frommers.com/blog/
At a time when foreign tourism to the U.S. is heavily down, the State Department has just raised the incoming visa fee to $131
From those super-capable folks who gave us back-logged passports, here's an incomprehensible increase in the fee for incoming visas. While other branches of the U.S. government are frantically attempting to attract more foreign tourists to the United States, the Department of State has just raised the fee for a U.S. visa to $131 from its former level of $100. A couple traveling to New York from, let's say, India or Panama, will now have to pay $262 just for visas enabling them to come here. And multitudes of foreign tourists may just decide to go to Australia or Argentina rather than the U.S.
As you may recall from my earlier posts, tourism to the United States is down by about 20% from the levels it enjoyed prior to September 11. (By contrast, most other western nations are reporting greatly increased tourism.) The loss to our economy from such lesser tourist numbers amounts to tens of billions of dollars each year, with billions of dollars in lost taxes, and hundreds of thousands of lost jobs.
Yet on December 13, the State Department announced that it will increase the application fee for non-immigrant visas by more than 30%, from $100 to $131, to "pay for increased processing costs." Because of State's desire for, say, ten million dollars more in visa fees, the United States economy may lose tens of billions of dollars. Obviously, no one is coordinating these decisions with those of other branches of government or pursuing a consistent policy to encourage incoming tourism.
Note that the State Department's action has nothing to do with security issues. Terrorists will have no problem paying another $31 dollars for their visas. But hundreds of thousands of potential visitors facing a burdensome charge, may decide not to come here.
And since many other foreign nations charge an exactly equal, tit-for-tat fee to our citizens wanting visas to visit their countries, our travelers will now need to pay an additional $31 to visit such countries as Brazil, Turkey, or Russia. Countries that formerly extracted a fee of $100 from an American tourist, will now charge $131.
It's another example of an unfocused Executive Branch, with no one tending the store.
Write and read comments about this post.
As you may recall from my earlier posts, tourism to the United States is down by about 20% from the levels it enjoyed prior to September 11. (By contrast, most other western nations are reporting greatly increased tourism.) The loss to our economy from such lesser tourist numbers amounts to tens of billions of dollars each year, with billions of dollars in lost taxes, and hundreds of thousands of lost jobs.
Yet on December 13, the State Department announced that it will increase the application fee for non-immigrant visas by more than 30%, from $100 to $131, to "pay for increased processing costs." Because of State's desire for, say, ten million dollars more in visa fees, the United States economy may lose tens of billions of dollars. Obviously, no one is coordinating these decisions with those of other branches of government or pursuing a consistent policy to encourage incoming tourism.
Note that the State Department's action has nothing to do with security issues. Terrorists will have no problem paying another $31 dollars for their visas. But hundreds of thousands of potential visitors facing a burdensome charge, may decide not to come here.
And since many other foreign nations charge an exactly equal, tit-for-tat fee to our citizens wanting visas to visit their countries, our travelers will now need to pay an additional $31 to visit such countries as Brazil, Turkey, or Russia. Countries that formerly extracted a fee of $100 from an American tourist, will now charge $131.
It's another example of an unfocused Executive Branch, with no one tending the store.
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: passports, red tape, visas
1 comment:
I would think if you can afford the trip in the first place, an additional $31 is not going to sink you!
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